Innocent Angels
by SpeedlesChic
Summary: The dark side of child beauty pageants comes to light when Lt. Horatio Caine and his team fight to stop a man from murdering anymore children.
1. Chapter 1

Soft music played in the background as the morning sun rose above the ocean's horizon. Tim Speedle or better known as Speed rolled over in his bed and wrapped his arms around his long-time girlfriend, Lauren Dawson. The two had met in college and have been together ever since. Finding time for each other was difficult, but the two made it work. Both worked for the Miami-Dade Police Department as crime scene investigators. The only difference was Speed work dayshift and Lauren worked nightshift. "Morning baby," Speed said kissing her on the cheek.

Lauren stirred in her sleep then opened her eyes. She rolled over to face her boyfriend. "Morning Timmy," Lauren said snuggling into him. "How about we ditch work and just stay here all day."

Speed sighed as he moved the hair that had fallen in front of her face behind her ear. "I wish, but you know we can't. But…" Speed found the little buttons on his shirt Lauren had slipped on and started to unbutton them. "Delko owes me a favor he can cover for me." Speed grinned as he unbuttoned the last button. "Going in a couple hours late won't hurt anyone," he said kissed her softly on the lips.

An hour later Speed quietly got up as to not wake Lauren, but she stirred and opened her eyes. "Baby, where are you going?"

Speed slipped on some pajama pants. "I'll be right back," Speed said as he left the bedroom.

Lauren smiled. "What are you up to now, Speedle?" He was always surprising her with little things here and there, and while she waited for him to return, Lauren thought about all the fun times they've had together.

"It's a surprise," he said coming back into the room. Speed crawled back into the bed, and snuggled up to Lauren burying his face in the nape of her neck. He closed his eyes taking in the scent of her hair. It smelled like sweet pink grapefruits. "I love you." He gave her neck a few soft kisses.

"I love you too," Lauren said turning over so they were face to face. "So, what is this surprise you have for me?"

"Remember the first time we met?"

A big smile appeared on Lauren's face. "Yes, I do remember it. I ran into you as I was walking into the classroom. As I recall I was Miss Damsel-in-distress," Lauren said laughing as she remembered that day like it was yesterday. "I thought I was going to be late for class," she added. Lauren heard him chuckle. "What did you go get?" she asked again as she lifted her head up off his chest.

"Can you believe we've been together eight years?" Speed said avoiding Lauren's question.

"Tim, baby, please what is this surprise. You're killing me." Lauren cupped the side of his face. Speed leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

"The first day we met was like…" He couldn't find the right words. "It was like everything finally fit into place for me. When Andy died-" Speed's cell rang. He knew it was his boss. He sighed rolling over and reaching for his cell phone. Lauren sighed too knowing the mood he was trying to create was lost. "Hello."

"Speed, where are you? Are you okay?" Lt. Horatio Caine asked with a hint of worry in his voice.

Speed sighed. "Yeah, Horatio, I'm fine the alarm clock never went off. I lost track time. I'm fine, everything's fine." Speed rubbed his face.

"Hurry up Speed. I need you at a scene." The two said their goodbyes and hung up.

Speed set his phone on his bedside table and sat up. He looked over at his girlfriend who was looking back at him. "Sorry babe. I need to go in. Horatio needs me at work."

Lauren sighed. "It's okay I know you're needed. We can finish the conversation up tonight. I'll go in late today. I'm sure my boss would give me a little leeway." Speed gave her several quick kisses and slipped out of the bed and headed into the bathroom. A shower was in order.

* * *

Lt. Horatio Caine stood with his hands on his hips. His trademark sunglasses shielded his eyes from the bright Miami sun. The crime scene was almost unbearable to look at. A child between the ages of five and seven had been murdered then buried in the Everglades. The good news for Horatio and his team was that the moist ground helped preserve the girl's body. "Alexx, do we have anything on our young victim yet?" Horatio asked Dr. Alexx Woods. She was Miami-Dade's top Medical Examiner.

"Well Horatio, what I do know for sure is that this baby girl died way too soon." Alexx felt around the child's body. She noticed the heavy amount of makeup and the fancy clothing. "She has a lot of makeup on Horatio. Maybe she was a beauty pageant girl or a child model."

Horatio shifted his weight to his right leg and took off his sunglasses. Narrowing his eyes he looked at the young child. "Do we have any idea how she died and time of death, Alexx?"

Alexx inspected the body further. "She's got bruising around her neck as far as I can see and as for time of death I'm not real sure right now. The moist ground delays decomp. I'll know more after the post." Alexx got up, and dusted the dirt of her pant legs before walking back to the van she came in.

"Thank you Alexx. Calleigh, Eric, come here please," Horatio said calling his CSIs over. He told Eric Delko and Calleigh Duquesne to keep doing what they were doing, but to expand the perimeter of the scene. Why he wasn't sure, but it was a gut feeling.

"This is so horrible. This is the one thing I can never get used to, seeing children murdered," Calleigh said with a sad sigh. "I hope Yelina tracks down the person who found this little girl," she added.

Homicide Detective Yelina Salas had already left the scene; there was nothing more for her to do and no one for her to question. When the CSI team had arrived on scene no one was present except her.

"Yes, but unfortunately they won't stop. They'll always be around, and we'll be there to help give these children a voice," Eric said photographing a piece of fabric he spotted.

Just as Horatio was about to hop in the hummer another one pulled up next to his; Speed was in the driver's seat. Horatio smiled to himself. "Speed, glad you could make it."

"Sorry H, I forgot to set my alarm," Speed said straight-faced.

Still smiling Horatio said, "Lauren again?"

Speed smiled back. "Yeah, I'm not going to lie."

"Sorry Speed if I interrupted anything," the Lieutenant apologized.

"It's alright H, nothing big. I was just going to ask Lauren to marry me, so nothing too important," Speed said sarcastically as he started walking over to his fellow co-workers. Horatio felt bad, but there was nothing he could do. Speed understood and he knew Lauren understood too.

"Well, look who decided to show up," Eric said teasing his friend.

"You know Delko, I was doing something important, but thanks to you I can't do that now. I covered your ass yesterday, I believe it was, and I had no idea where the hell you were," Speed said somewhat frustrated. Both Calleigh and Eric look at Speed surprised.

"The same place you were Speed." Eric winked.

Half smiling Speed shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Let's just get to work."


	2. Chapter 2

The doors to Alexx's autopsy room opened, Speed walked in. "Hey Timmy glad you could make it, just finished the post," Alexx said with a small smile. "Everything alright?" She had been referring to him being late for work.

"Yeah, everything's fine Alexx. What do we have here?" Speed said.

"Well, time of death is tricky, but I would put it at around midnight. She hasn't been gone for long. After removing several layers of makeup, I found your cause of death. She was strangled, Timmy. She has multiple bruises around her neck," Alexx explained.

Speed had to look away. The sight was unbearable. He thought of Lauren's five year old niece, Audrey. She looked similar to the little girl on the table. "You okay Timmy?"

He cleared his throat. "Yeah. It's just hard to look at. Lauren has a five year old niece who looks a little like our victim." Horatio and Alexx were the only two people who knew of Lauren, but Alexx had never met her unlike Horatio.

"No child this young belongs on my table," Alexx said shaking her head. "You going to going to be ok, baby?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine. Did you find anything else?"

"Yes, after taking her clothes off, I found puncture marks all over her chest. They look to be from something small. I'm not sure what it is. They were post-mortem. Her wrists, ankles, and butt had some type of sticky substance on them. I collected samples." She paused before delivering her last piece of evidence. It was something she hoped she had been wrong about. Speed could feel the atmosphere change. "I ran a sexual assault kit right away. I just got it back. It came back positive."

Speed's face froze. "She was raped," he choked out.

"Yeah baby she was, but no semen present. The killer must have used some kind of protection."

"So, uh do we an ID on the girl?"

"No sorry, baby, but I did send fingerprints over to the prints lab. It's a long shot, but it's worth a try."

Speed was about to say something when his cell phone rang. Reaching down into his pocket he grabbed what he thought was his phone, but when he pulled it out he had grabbed the small black velvet ring box. Not thinking he quickly set the box on the table and searched his other pocket.

Once he found his phone he looked at the caller ID, it read Future Mrs. Speedle. Speed laughed out loud. Lauren must have changed it, or her sister. "I gotta take this Alexx. I'll be right back." He stepped out into the hallway.

Speed walked back in a few minutes later. "Sorry Alexx. I'll take the clothes and start to process them. Thanks Alexx." He picked up the evidence box and started heading to the doors.

Alexx stopped him. "Timmy!"

"Yeah?"

"You're forgetting anything?" She was holding up the small ring box he had set on her autopsy table. Alexx was grinning from ear to ear. The little boy smile she saw every time he talked about Lauren appeared on his face.

He walked over and thanked her before grabbing it and leaving. "Thanks Alexx."

* * *

Horatio pushed open the door to the Prints Lab hoping Eric had gotten an ID on the young girl. "Eric do we have anything on the little girl?" Horatio asked walking up next to him.

"No, not yet H. I've been letting it run through every database possible. Nothing is coming up," Eric said frustrated. "She's a child. I don't think she's going to be in any database."

"I knew it would be a long shot, but it's worth a try. Keep going and let me know when you find something, okay. I'm going to check in with Speed and head down to missing persons to see if anyone has reported her missing."

"Will do, H."

Horatio left the prints lab just in time to see Speed walking down the hallway. "Speed, did we get anything from Alexx yet?" Horatio asked walking in line with is trace expert.

Speed sighed. "Yeah I did, H, and it's probably one of the most disturbing reports I've ever gotten from Alexx," he said handing the file to his boss. "This girl was strangled, bound with some kind of tape. I'm guessing some kind of tape possibly duct tape. There are puncture marks all over her chest. It was done post-mortem, and brace yourself for this one… Alexx ran a sexual assault kit. It came back positive. No semen present though."

Horatio shook his head in disgust. "We need to catch this person, Speed."

"I know, H. Did Eric get anything from her prints?"

"No. I knew we weren't going to either. She's a child. She's not going to be in any database. I'm heading over to missing persons so see if anyone has reported her missing. Keep me updated on trace and get those photos of the puncture wounds to Calleigh."

Speed nodded and said, "Will do. H. Let me know if anything comes up too."


	3. Chapter 3

The bright Miami afternoon sun hit Lauren in the face as she exited Speed's apartment. She was on her way to the Miami-Dade Ice rink where she helped a friend teach hockey to five and six year olds. Lauren loved it because it helped keep her mind occupied when work got tough. Photography was her other love.

Lauren popped open her trunk and carefully tossed her hockey bag into it. She couldn't wait to get on the ice, but more importantly she couldn't wait to spend some time with her five year old niece, Audrey Dawson. Lauren's sister and mother of her niece, Margaret Dawson had finally let Audrey play hockey.

Lauren shut her trunk and was about to get into her car when she heard someone walk up behind her. The person sounded like they had been crying. She turned around and was surprised to find her neighbor, Belinda Sinatra. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy ponytail, her eyes were bloodshot, and she looked like she hadn't sleep in twenty-four hours. "Belinda, what are you doing here? Are you okay?" Lauren asked concerned.

Belinda shook her head. "My baby girl. I can't find her," she cried out as a fresh batch of tears fell from the corners of her eyes. "Can you help me? Your sister said you were at your boyfriend's place. She gave me his address. I know you're a CSI."

"Okay. Yes, I can help you," Lauren said pulling her neighbor into a hug. "Let's start by going to the police station where you can file a missing persons report. That way we can get her it into the system."

Belinda nodded as she continued to sob. "José is out looking for her now. He's been looking all night."

Lauren's heart broke. She could understand what she was going through. If something ever happened to her niece she would be a complete mess. "Come on, let's get into my car. I'll take you to the police station."

The car ride to the police station was quiet. Lauren didn't know what to say to Belinda. She was never good at that kind of thing. It was something she let her boss handle. Belinda called her husband on the way to the police station to tell him to meet them there.

Lauren pulled into a parking space at the police department at the same time as Belinda's husband. Belinda immediately exited Lauren's car and ran to her husband crying. She asked him if he had found anything, but he hadn't. "Come on let's head inside and file a missing persons report.

"But what do we do after that?" Belinda asked.

"Let's just take it one step at a time. Okay? Lt. Caine is on his way over," Lauren said. She had called Horatio on their way to the police department.

While an officer helped the distraught parents fill out the missing persons report, Lauren spotted Horatio enter the building. She walked over to him. "Lauren, what's going on?" Horatio asked concerned.

"My neighbor's daughter went missing. I'm guessing last night. They're filling out a missing persons report now. You're the first person I thought of. Their names are Belinda and José Sinatra."

"Okay. Let's go talk to them," Horatio said as they two made their way over to Belinda and José. "Mr. and Mrs. Sinatra, my name is Lt. Horatio Caine. I understand your daughter went missing. About what time was that?"

"Last night. I couldn't tell you what time. Chelsea was in a beauty pageant last night. A girl she knew from the pageant asked her to go out for ice cream. My husband and I were hesitant because we didn't really know these people. It was Chelsea's first time being in a beauty pageant for children. We called the girl's mother when Chelsea hadn't come home. She said that they never went out for ice cream. I lost it after that. My husband and I have been looking for her all night," Belinda cried out. "Can you help us, Lt. Caine?"

"Yes. I will do everything in my power to help find your daughter. Do you have a photograph of her?" Belinda pulled a small wallet sized photo of her daughter and handed it to Horatio. He took it gently and studied it. His heart sank. Chelsea had beautiful long blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and pleasing facial structure. She was the girl in Alexx's morgue. "Uh, Mr. and Mrs. Sinatra, we've actually found your daughter,

"Where is she? Is my baby okay?" Belinda asked feeling hopeful.

"Mr. and Mrs. Sinatra, your daughter was murdered early this morning," Horatio said his voice soft and caring. He knew what it was like to lose a family member, but a child that was different; he couldn't imagine losing his son Kyle. "I'm so sorry."

Belinda's hands begin to shake as she leaned against her husband's chest; his eyes were wide with shock not wanting to believe the Lieutenants words. "NO! She's not gone, Lt. Caine! There must be some mistake! That is not our daughter you found," José shouted. He stood up straight looking in Horatio's eyes for something that was clearly not there. His little girl was gone forever.

"Can we see her Lt. Caine?" the Belinda asked softly. She still had tears falling.

"Honey, I don't think that's such a good idea," José said.

"Sir, we need to make a positive ID just to make sure our results are correct," Horatio said.

"I need to see my daughter, José, to make sure it's her," Belinda said not hearing Horatio speak. Her eyes pleaded with her husband; he agreed.

* * *

Alexx Woods was waiting for the family to walk into the observation room. The child's body was covered with a plain white sheet.

The door opened and Horatio let the mother and father walk in. The two held their breath in anticipation, hoping the Miami-Dade Lieutenant and his team were wrong. "Are you ready?" Horatio somberly asked. The parents swallowed hard and nodded their heads yes. "Okay Alexx." Standing at the front of the autopsy table she pulled back the white sheet, Chelsea's face revealed.

Belinda's hand flew to her mouth as she gasped. Tears immediately started cascading down her cheeks. "Oh my god, my baby… that's her." Her knees became weak. José caught his wife just before she hit the floor; his body felt numb.

"That's her, that's our daughter, Chelsea," José said repeating what his wife had said.

Horatio looked at the grieving parents with sad eyes. "I'm so sorry Mr. and Mrs. Sinatra." Alexx covered Chelsea's head. "Why... why don't we go into a private room and talk, okay?" Horatio placed a calming hand on Belinda's back.

"Lt. Caine?" Belinda said softly.

"Yes Mrs. Sinatra."

"I want Lauren Dawson to work on my daughter's case. I trust her and I feel comfortable knowing she'll be there. Please. That's all I ask," Belinda said.

"Okay, I'll see what I can do, but for now let's go talk in private okay." They nodded and followed Horatio to a private sitting room. Lauren had stayed behind. She had to make a few phone calls.


End file.
